Credit Card Debt Help

 

We only take credit card cases where the credit card debt has been charged-off and purchased by a “debt buyer” or where a credit card company has agreed to negotiate the overdue amounts, and either no lawsuit has yet been served, or a judgment against you has already been obtained following a lawsuit.

 

You Only Pay a Legal Fee if Your Debt is Reduced or Removed

 

Credit Card Issuer:

If your credit card company has agreed to negotiate, you may be able to pay-off a lesser amount than the outstanding balance, or maybe you can get a lower interest rate, or maybe interest can be stopped until you pay-off the balance. You can negotiate on your own, or we can do it for you. Even if you negotiate on your own, it is still adviseable to have an attorney review a final agreement- which should be in writing – before you pay the credit card company any monies owed under any agreed settlement plan.

Credit Card Debt Buyer or Collection Agency:

If your credit card issuer has not agreed to settle the amounts owed in any way, or in any way that you can afford, you will probably, or eventually, hear from a collection agency. Such agency may work for the credit card issuer or for an investor (a/k/a/ “a debt buyer”) that bought the debt from the credit card company at a significant discount. It can be much easier to negotiate with a debt buyer than with the credit card company. As long as the statute of limitations has not run or you have not discharged the debt in bankruptcy, the investor can collect the debt, including though filing a lawsuit.

If you are interested in settling a credit card debt, we can try to set-up a payment plan with the debt owner, and/or reduce the amount owed, and/or have past fees waived.

All the above should be tried before a lawsuit is served on you, to preserve any leverage you have. Do not wait until there is a lawsuit or a judgment and your costs and risks rise. If you have an argument based on the above, feel free to call us to maximize your leverage.

Keep in mind that for certain debts, including credit cards, your credit is likely suffering from the overdue payments even if a lawsuit is not filed because the debt owner is, often, reporting to the credit reporting agencies.

If we are retained by you, we will deal with collection agencies and collection laws.

Good negotiation – can stop litigation

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Notes:

*Options for managing debt – and some advantages and disadvantages. (This is general information. One’s particular financial situation must be assessed to make proper decisions):

1. 1. Debt Management: i. Limited to credit card debt. ii. Not experienced negotiators beyond credit cards.
2. 2. Debt Settlement: i. Can negatively affect credit. ii. Have to be careful about company behaviors. Do your homework. ii. A debtor can do this on his or her own.
3. 3. Personal Loan: A good option if you can get a good rate. Consolidate all or some debt into one lower interest rate.
4. 4. Attorney: i. Can negotiate present and further obligations for new terms, longer payment periods, lesser amounts, waived fees. ii. We only charge if successful. iii. Can handle any kind of obligation and any category of debt. iv. Debt management or settlement options may or may not harm credit, depending on the situation. v. Laws and facts will be reviewed and used to establish legal rights and obtain negotiation leverage. vi. There are no “programs”. You can work on the negotiation of one debt or one future obligation at a time.

With an attorney, a debtor gets debt settlement, debt management, legal counsel, highly-regulated and licensed professional, negotiation and reduction of any kind of debt, negotiation leverage, business experience, legal experience, flexibility in the process, and payment only for success.

*If we take the case with the goal of reducing the amount of an obligation or setting-up a payment plan, you will be required to place our legal fee in our attorney escrow account, to be paid to this firm upon a Debt Resolution. If no written agreement of resolution is achieved, the legal fee is returned to client.

Debt Resolution = An agreement by a creditor or counterparty in accordance with the attorney-client engagement letter’s definition of “Debt Resolution”.
Charges of third parties – such as overnight mail services and filing fees- are to be approved and paid by client.

*A credit card debt settlement will affect your credit score. Credit card debt will affect your credit score. Failure to settle with a debt buyer can affect your credit score. A settlement with a debt buyer can affect your credit score.

*Even if a credit card debt is charged-off, a debt buyer has all legal rights to collect that debt, including through a lawsuit, as long as the debt statute of limitations in New York State has not expired.

*Settlement of a debt may have tax consequences. Speak to your accountant or CPA.

*If litigation is eventually pursued, it would be on an hourly-fee basis.
*Individual case facts will cause different case outcomes.